Board approves two downtown hotel proposals

The Board of Architectural Review (BAR) approved final requests for the construction of two new downtown hotels on Wednesday night.

They include an eight-story hotel at Marion Square and a four-story hotel near the corner of Meeting and Wentworth streets.

The 185-room proposed hotel at 404 King Street, adjacent Marion Square, will also feature a rooftop pool and will take the spot of the old Charleston County Public Library property.

Hotel plans have been in the works for the past 10 years, but the hotel has been put on constant hold due to lawsuits from local preservation groups who say the height of the hotel will threaten the character of Marion Square.

The Supreme Court of South Carolina gave the hotel the all clear last fall.

The proposed Meeting Street hotel is the Grand Bohemian, a boutique hotel with locations in Savannah, Asheville, and Orlando.